Posts Tagged ‘food’

Welcome to my new feature called Fave Foods.  Here you’ll learn all about the restaurant foods that I love.  This will be my place to focus on well known and well hidden Chicagoland (and sometimes from other cities) dishes.  I’d love to hear what you think about the recommendations even if you disagree.

Besides reading, traveling, watching the Celtics (and napping, blogging and teaching) I also really enjoy food.  Cooking it, eating it, trying different cuisines. I’d consider myself a foodie, but not in a snooty way. I like cheap food, midrange food and yeah sure occasionally expensive food.

This was Jose’s birthday weekend, so of course we overindulged.  Normally, I’d cook a special birthday meal, but for some reason, maybe the hot weather and the fact that school ended Friday and I was completely wiped out, we decided to dine out for his birthday.  About 12 times in the past three days.  Ok, slight exaggeration, but not by much.

This morning we woke up early, happy to both have a day off. It’s Memorial Day 2010!  We decided it was a good time to head to Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe (website needs help, I know) for breakfast.  I discovered Chuck’s about a year ago from one of the best Chicago TV shows — Check Please! It’s a restaurant review show that focuses on Chicago dining.  We’ve tried a lot of restaurants we’ve seen showcased on this program and have enjoyed many of them.

(Side note…I don’t know what’s up with Italian restaurants in Chicago, but almost all the ones we’ve tried have not delivered. Maybe my standards are too high?  My grandma made the BEST gravy ever. For you non-New Englanders, gravy = spaghetti sauce)

For the first few months we went to Chuck’s, we’d have lunch or dinner.  Mostly BBQ items. I love the BBQ chicken and pork nachos.  Once in a while we’d try one of Chuck’s creations which are a  mixture of Mexican/Creole/Southern food. It’s an odd combo on paper, but really works on a plate.  His soups are incredible. My favorite is the cream of poblano with shrimp. Hello delicious.

One of my friends, Karen, got on the Chuck’s kick at the same time as me and asked if we’d tried the breakfast yet.  Whaaaat? Breakfast at Chuck’s? I LOVE restaurant breakfast.  (Really, I just love eggs.  All kinds, but especially eggs over medium.  Whites cooked, edges of yolk cooked but insides still runny. Just perfect for toast or English muffins.)  So of course at the next possible moment we drove there to try it.

Chuck’s breakfast menu. You can seen from  this menu that it contains special items as well as a traditional breakfast menu, all prepared with Chuck’s typical flair. In addition to the regular menu (breakfast, lunch and dinner) there’s a daily special AND monthly specials.  It’s impossible to keep up with the dishes that revolve around the menus.

I had the basic breakfast and thought it was good, but typical. Jose tried the Machacado omelet which had smoked beef brisket, tomato, onion, jalapeno and cheddar cheese. He liked it but it was nothing to write home about.  I was dying to try the Cafe de Olla, the Mexican coffee made with cinnamon, brown sugar and orange peel.  Turns out it’s the BEST coffee I’ve ever had. It’s served in a French press and it’s just amazingly delicious. It’s enough for 3 cups  (can be shared if you’re feeling generous).  YUM.

The next time we went to Chuck’s for breakfast, we each tried something else. I had Chuck’s Famous Bananas Foster French Toast —three pieces of Pain Perdu topped with caramelized bananas and toasted pecans.

Wow, was this good.  It was sweet and delicious and very filling.  I’ve since had the Bananas Foster pancakes and they are even better.  Giant, fluffy pancakes and a bowl of the bananas foster and pecans.  This is a special treat only and definitely something that could be shared at the table.

Over a period of a few months, we tried various items from the menu like different omelets and biscuits and gravy.  All very good.  Jose’s favorite dish is the Huevos ala Rancheros which is two tortillas stuffed with chorizo and cheese and topped with two eggs (over easy) , a spicy roasted tomato sauce and queso fresco cheese. Served with tomato chipotle rice and refried black beans.

He loves it. I think it’s tasty, but too spicy for me!

Things changed one day when Karen asked, “Have you tried the Huevos ala Frontera yet? It’s amazing.  Corn sopas filled with refried beans with a poached egg on top and covered in a poblano cream sauce, topped with crispy chorizo and diced tomatoes!”

This is not my typical breakfast fare, as I tend to gravitate toward sweeter items, but she wouldn’t stop recommending it.  She’s a food pusher like that.  :)

One day as we were driving to Chuck’s discussing what we were going to order.  (What? You don’t do that?)  Jose decided he was going to try it.  I was still in Bananas Foster mode at this time, so I said “Go ahead…it sounds too strange to me. I’ll be digging into a bowl of caramelized bananas and pecans with pancakes on the side!”

Welllll. I was wrong. It was absolutely delicious.  I tried a bite and was completely blown away. The combination of flavors the poblano, the egg and the creamy refried beans with the slight crunch of the sopa.  It worked together perfectly.

I have stopped looking for the perfect breakfast because I have found it.  Every time I order it, it’s better than the time before.  For me, Huevos ala Frontera from Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe is the BEST egg dish I’ve ever eaten.

If you’re in the Chicago area, try Chuck’s. I’d recommend breakfast if you only have one shot, but ALL the food is very good. I had a terrific chicken fried steak that came with mashed potatoes and a sage gravy that was spectacular.  It’s in Burbank, IL not a far drive from the city.  You won’t be disappointed.

Here’s my first year end wrap up.  Hopefully, you’ll find it thrilling.

Travel
Even though we didn’t do any international traveling (technically, Puerto Rico doesn’t count as international) in 2009 , we still managed to have a few good vacations.  Our summer trip to San Francisco was fantastic.  I ate lots of great food (mmm cioppino!!), toured Alcatraz at night (spooky) and even drove across another famous bridge.  In case you’re keeping track, that brings my “Famous Bridges I’ve Driven Across” list to 2: the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.  Meaning, I was the driver not just a passenger.

We also spent a few days in Pennsylvania visiting my dad and stepmom.  That’s always a good trip (even if we do end up bringing a carload of “stuff” home.)  This year, in drastic preventative measures, we brought my brother along, therefore limiting how much stuff we could bring home (sorry Dad!).  In case you think I’m joking, this is what we brought home summer 2008.

I could have opened a discount electronics superstore  and a laser disc rental center in my living room. Thankfully, most it went home with the Canadians, and the rest of the electronics were set up in the cats’  room so they could watch their cat movies in peace.  At least that’s what I’m hoping they are doing down there.  I don’t ask.  They don’t tell.

We’re ending our year in sunny Puerto Rico visiting Jose’s parents.  It’s always a relaxing vacation full of napping and eating, more napping, reading, more eating, tv watching.  Ahh.  I will have some picture to post when we get home, but this trip has really been a lot of chilling and not much doing.  For which, I’m very thankful.

Books
Well, let me start off by saying that back in March I thought it would be sooo easy to reach my yearly goal of reading 150 books.  Even now, it doesn’t sound so crazy until I looked at my actual book log (check list at top of page) and found out I only read 46 new books this year.  There must be at least 5 books I never recorded, maybe 10? Only 46 books?  How is that possible?  I reread 11 books this year, but those don’t count on my list.  So I’m amending my 2010 reading goal to 100 books.  Obviously 150 was a stretch.  I need to do a better job of keeping track. I don’t always write down what I’m reading to the kids at school but this year I’m keeping a daily journal of activities, funny things kids say and little anecdotes.  That will help me in keeping my book log more accurate.  46? Only??

Moving on, I’d like to discuss my favorite books of the year. There were not a lot of horrible books on  my list this year, except maybe The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I really, really disliked that book.  Thought it was poorly written, didn’t make much sense and would not be the book I would choose to introduce kids to the the Holocaust.  There are others I think that are better written (for elementary students)  like The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo, which is a short, beautiful book.

For older students and adults, Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is the book I’d recommend. It’s one of my two favorite books this year.  I can’t even begin to explain this book except that it’s the story of a young German girl who steals books to learn how to read, during WWII. Oh, yeah and it’s narrated by Death.  Hopefully, that’s enough of a hook to get you to read it.  I gave this book to many people this year and so far, every single one of them has loved this book.  There’s something about the words, they are so poetic and luminous, the book is just breathtaking, powerful and deeply deeply satisfying.  Please read.

My other favorite book of the year is another one that I either gave away as a gift or cajoled people to read.  Seriously, at school I left this book on teachers’ desks, in mailboxes and on chairs with a note that said “Stop everything and read this book”.  Can you believe that everyone did?  The book is Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate. It’s the story of  Kek,  a Sudanese boy who is brought to Minnesota by a refugee rescue organization. He’s around 10 or 11 and in 5th grade.  He’s learning English and American customs while dealing with memories of what he lived through in his village.  Family members were killed in front of him and his mother is missing.  He moves in with an aunt and cousin who are also still trying to acclimate.

This book moved me more than anything I’ve read in a long time.  It’s told in short verse, so every single word was chosen specifically for that stanza, page, chapter.  This is nothing short of a perfect book.  A mastery of the writing craft.  This is a book you’re going read and want to share with everyone you know.  Ok, that’s just me, but you’ll probably want to share it when you’re done.    This was a state book award nominee, and I’m not proud of this, it was one of the last books on the list that I read. It has a cover that’s not very appealing.  I know that’s the kiss of death coming from a librarian, but it’s true.  My students walk away from books with better looking covers.  This is a book that has to be sold to a child, and it’s even better if you can read it with them. This story of an immigrant, refugee even, will bring up questions and hopefully feed into many many discussions.  Oh, the cover….now after falling in love with this story I have a fondness for it, but I personally saw a lot students pick it up (at my request and their own discovery) and put it right back down.  Please read it and let me know what you think.

My last recommendation is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I just finished it tonight and it was spectacular.  Just as I was finishing it, I found out that it won USA Today’s Book of the Year honors. It’s a first novel (always amazes me) about Southern women circa 1962/63. It’s the story of a young, white woman who is breaking societal roles and developing an interest in the civil rights movement.  She befriends two brave maids and together these women write an anonymous tell-all about the relationships between black maids and their white women bosses. It’s a 450+ page book that I read in 3 days. I couldn’t put it down.  I can’t wait to discuss it with my book club and share it with other people.

I read lots of other fun books this year including the Sookie Stackhouse books (True Blood on HBO) and of course the latest installments in the Sisters Grimm and Percy Jackson and the Olympians series’.  Both of those sets should be on your list (at least the first of each one)  The Lightning Thief (first Percy Jackson book) movie is coming out in Feb, but you should read the book first, especially if you are a Greek mythology fan.

If you’ve read any of my recommended titles, please leave a comment below with your thoughts and if you’d recommend them to any of your reader friends.

Food
My favorite new recipe of the year came from Jose’s friend, Judy. It’s Tuscan stovetop meatloaf.  I’ve blogged about meatloaf more times this year than I care to admit, so check my recipe log at the top of this page if you want the details.  Other things I mastered this year include fudge (all varieties…I made eight different kinds around Christmas) and I roasted a whole turkey for the first time ever for Thanksgiving this year.  I also made homemade cranberry sauce. Next year I tackle stuffing. My mom makes the best ever, so it will be a hard act to replicate.

Celtics
2009 was the year I went to TWO Celtics games. Both of them were in Chicago. One was Game 4 of the first playoff round.  Celtics lost, but it was a 3 overtime game and it was exciting!   We had awesome seats, and manged to pay ticket price for them AND get them within minutes after it was determined Boston and Chicago were going to play each other.  Our seats were 9 rows behind the Celtics bench.  We also attended a game just a few weeks ago and were able to take a lot of pictures of pregame practice and shoot around. That post is coming soon, promise.  Here’s hoping that the Celtics stay healthy in 2010.  I’d love to see them go as far as possible this season.  One day, we’ll make it to Boston to see a game.  Here’s hoping that’s in 2010.

Happy reading, happy eating, happy basketballing, happy traveling!  Happy 2010!